So I have been preoccupied lately with worrying about things are aren't really a problem. These past 10 years have begun taking their toll on me. Sometimes I find it harder to cope with life then others. The past few days have been some of the tougher days I can remember. I have been raising Gavin for the better part of a decade now and it hasn't been easy. The stress just seems to build up over time and come to a head during times like this where I just feel buried. I worry about stuff that is tangible because most of the rest of our lives is outside of my control. I'm trying to develop better coping skills as I'm sure that will help. Sometimes though, life just really…

So the boys didn't want to go see Dr. Patti tonight so I am here by myself. I'm honestly a bit stressed out at the moment but hopefully I can get myself centered. I'm supposed to meet up with my Dad later to walk a few miles tonight. Hopefully that will happen and help as well. - Lost and Tired Please Vote for Lost and Tired (just click the link) and help me spread Autism Awareness. Everyone can Vote once a day :)

I was reflecting the other day on all I have learned from my children as a special needs father over the years.   My Autistic children have taught me: 1) True, complete unconditional love exists. 2) How to be patient in the most challenging and frustrating of situations. 3) To ALWAYS keep trying and NEVER give up. 4) I should ALWAYS appreciate the "little" things. 5) NEVER take ANYTHING for granted. 6) To be a better person and more "in tune" with my surroundings. 7) How truly meaningful a hug or kiss can be. 8 ) How to overcome seemingly, insurmountable odds. 9) ALWAYS stand up for what is right, even if I'm the only one. 10) NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER.  

So I have mentioned before how much pride Emmett takes in his clothes, in particular, his shirts. So I thought I would try to do "Shirt of the day" post with a picture of Emmett's shirt. I say "try" because Emmett won't always wear a shirt but he loves posing for the camera. Maybe this will encourage him to wear clothes more often. Anyway, this is Emmett's shirt of the day for Tuesday, June 28th, 2011. It features Monsters vs Aliens, the movie.  

When your child or children are dx with ASD it can become a scheduling nightmare. We are experiencing one of those weeks. With the van acting up and gas VERY limited for us until payday we have to make some tough choices. We have about 6 appointments with week at ACH (Akron Children's Hospital) between the genetics department, Gastrointestinal and Allergist. Let's not forget all the local therapies this week as well. We will be rescheduling some of these trips because of the van and simply the lack of fuel. Some of these are just follow ups and not a big deal like the generics department. Some are important like the Gastrointestinal and the Allergist, so they will have to stay. This is just a particularly difficult week but we…

First Gavin and now Elliott and Emmett are both awake. Elliott had a nightmare and Emmett isn't feeling good after today. It's about 1am and Elliott is back to sleep and in bed and so is Emmett. Hopefully they will both sleep through the night. - Lost and Tired Please Vote for Lost and Tired (just click the link) and help me spread Autism Awareness. Everyone can Vote once a day :)

Gavin is still awake at 11pm. He's awake because he is obsessively thinking about playing Elliott's DSi. This has been a long standing issue with Gavin and the reason we have limited his time with video games. Gavin can never just really be "into" something. He obsessed over it, whether it's lego's, video games or those little annoying hamsters (Kung Zub pets). He can't seem to find a nice little balance between liking something and becoming obsessed with it. It's s going to be a looooooooolong night. - Lost and Tired Please Vote for Lost and Tired (just click the link) and help me spread Autism Awareness. Everyone can Vote once a day :)

So Emmett has this thing with going potty. Sure he is potty trained but we still have a few things to work on. You see, Emmett can't go potty until he has completely disrobed. The funny part is that today while at the doctors he had to go potty 3 times and each time was the same routine. At least 2 times were false alarms.  Baby steps....... - Lost and Tired Please Vote for Lost and Tired (just click the link) and help me spread Autism Awareness. Everyone can Vote once a day :)